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One of the top 50 players out of Texas in the 2013 recruiting class, Thomas decided to sign with Oklahoma so that he was close to home. He played in every game as a true freshman, starting the final four games at corner (32 tackles, five pass breakups). Thomas ended the year on a high note, breaking up three passes and making four stops against Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Big 12 coaches named him second-team all-conference the next fall, starting 11 of 12 games played and posting 46 stops, five interceptions, and four pass breakups. Thomas achieved first-team all-league accolades as a junior full-time starter, tying for fourth nationally with 19 passes defensed. Two of those plays were interceptions, and he also had 46 tackles, two for loss, on the year. His game fell off a bit in 2017, however, making 27 tackles, two for loss, one interception, and two pass breakups in 12 games. Thomas started the first nine games of the year, then missed two games and played minimal snaps in three others due to a knee injury. Thomas has had some disciplinary issues during his college career. He was suspended for disciplinary reasons twice in 2015, for the first quarter of the season opener and for a full game two weeks later. In December 2015, Thomas was arrested for failing to appear in court for a traffic citation. Before the 2016 season, Thomas was arrested after running from the scene of a bar fight (he ran because of the night he spent in jail).

By Lance Zierlein

NFL Analyst

Draft Projection

PFA

Overview

Thomas has good size and undeniable ball skills, but his lack of consistency is troubling. Thomas saved his worst tape for last as issues with confidence led to excessive interference calls and big plays against him. The talent says Thomas may have a future as a backup cornerback for a zone-based team, but his lack of recovery speed coupled with off-field issues could be enough to scare teams away.

Strengths

Decent size with a smooth backpedal

2016 tape was much better and showed a cornerback with patience when operating outside the numbers

Ball skills are impressive

Uses every inch of his arm length when challenging catches

Reads receivers eyes and times his leaps accordingly

Springy leaper who can match hands at the catch point

Plus hand-eye coordination

Has instincts to work with

Has enough short-area quickness and length to be disruptive when challenging throws from off coverage

Recognizes double moves and vertical challenges

Reactive and aware at attacking wide receiver screens

Weaknesses

Struggled for two seasons to regain his sophomore form

Slowed this year by an ankle and knee injuries

Has hip tightness that shows up when he needs to flip

Doesn't have much quickness coming out of his mirror transitions

Can't stick through longer reps in man coverage

Average recovery speed

Known by scouts as an "over-thinker" who has bouts of low confidence

Struggled to stay with deep ball challenges and gave up way too many long balls

Allowed 21.6 yards per completion in 2017

Lacks discipline and gets out of position

Inconsistent tackler

Takes poor angles and engages in excessive arm tackling

Character will need vetting after two arrests and two different suspensions for violations of team rules